


The Incredible Ryuji Volume One: Denial

by TheCephalopodAgency



Series: Unfinished Snippets, The Series™ [3]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: M/M, Ryuji is a Good Boy, akira is a baker fite me, akira is a soft boy, akira is also a devious boy, akira is team mom, best boy - Freeform, ryuji is a soft boy, snippets of bigger scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 05:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15575214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCephalopodAgency/pseuds/TheCephalopodAgency
Summary: Ryuji and Akira's relationship from Ryuji's point of view





	The Incredible Ryuji Volume One: Denial

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be a long fic, but I lost steam and ended up with a bunch of disconnected parts. I didn't want to leave it entirely, so here, have the finished bits. It jumps around a lot, as some scenes were meant to be connected, but I just didn't get to it.

“Oh thank  _ god _ we’re here,” Panther just about sobbed with relief, and for good reason. Due to the whole Kaneshiro blackmail incident, the Phantom Thieves hadn't been able to make much progress in Mementos. It was only after delving into the massive palace now that they realized the error in tackling two whole blocks in one afternoon. Even Skull was glad to see that annoying barrier for once, and he normally didn’t mind hanging out in the metaverse for long blocks of time.

 

“Alright, I think we all deserve a break before we head back,” Joker said. “I brought lunch.” A chorus of relieved cheers followed him as the group made their way to the benches. Although they never got particularly hungry or thirsty in the metaverse, it was a nice gesture and always rejuvenated them. Joker procured several boxes of homemade curry and one package of store bought sushi, and handed them out. The sushi was for Mona. Even the allure of curry was no match for a cat and his fish.

 

“This smells delicious,” Queen commented. “Is this from the cafe?”

 

Joker paused. “Mhmm. Boss showed me how to make it a while ago and I’ve finally perfected it.” He went back to rummaging through his bag, lining up a row of thermoses and a couple water bottles.

 

“There’s coffee and water, too.”

 

Skull never ceases to be impressed by Joker’s dedication. Something inside him twisted and made him choke up when he did stuff like this. He took the water Joker offered him with a smile and immediately downed a good fourth of it to chase away the feeling of his throat constricting.

 

“You're too good to us,” Panther insisted, before savoring another bite of curry, taking the words right of his mouth.

 

They ate slowly, being in no particular rush, and spent the time chatting idly until Queen pointed out that it was starting to get late.

 

* * *

“I call back seat. Queen’s driving us home,” Joker decided aloud, stifling a yawn behind his glove. He fell into the backseat with a huff before anyone could argue with him, scooting towards the middle so Skull could slide in next to him.

 

“Hey, feet off the seats, Joker!” Morgana complained. “You’ll get dirt all over me!”

 

“There’s no dirt in Mementos…”

 

“It’s the principle of the thing, then!”

 

“Oh alright. Just for you, Mona.”

 

Fox took a seat in the middle row when Panther slipped into the passenger’s seat next to Queen.

 

“Please drive slower this time,” Fox requested.

 

“I make no promises.”

 

* * *

 

“What do you think Joker?” but there was no reply. Everyone peered into the back seat. “Whoa, I think Joker might have fallen asleep…”

 

Sure enough, Joker’s eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and steady. Skull quirked his brow when he slid closer in his sleep when they passed a rough bit of terrain, his head thumping softly against his shoulder. Then he grabbed onto his sleeve, mumbling something inaudible that may have been about sifting flour.

 

“Yeah, definitely asleep,” he confirmed. Panther let out an undignified snort of amusement in her effort to quiet her laughter so as not to disturb their leader in a rare moment of rest.

 

He tried to pry his arm free, but Joker’s grip was strong. “Anyone gonna help me out?” He scanned the front of the bus pleadingly.

 

“Nah, I think you can handle this on your own.”

 

“Our leader looks quite comfortable as he is. I would be remiss to disturb him.”

 

“I’m driving, sorry.”

 

“I’m a vehicle.”

 

“...you guys are true pals, y'know?” Skull said flatly. “Fine then, while you’re up there doin’ whatever I’ll be hanging out with Joker!” And the use of only one arm.

 

“That’s kind of the point, numskull.”

 

“Shut your mouth, you freakin’ cat!”

 

“You’ll wake him up with your arguing at this rate,” Queen said warningly.

 

“R-right, sorry Queen. Shutting up now.”

 

“Wow, someone besides Joker who can shut him up. I’m impressed, Queen.” Skull glared angrily at the roof of the Monabus.

 

“You behave too, Mona.”

 

“...yes Queen.”

 

Well, at least there was  _ some _ justice in the world.

 

Despite the small arguments, Joker was still out like a light. He didn’t even even stir after a particularly close call avoiding a shadow had sent Fox tumbling to the floor of the bus.

 

“Weird, Joker’s usually a pretty light sleeper. He’s really out of it today.” Mona commented when they were out of range of the shadow.

 

“Must be hard to sleep living with such a demanding houseguest,” Skull muttered.

 

”I heard that, you know!”   


 

Queen cleared her throat, then glared pointedly at Skull through the mirror. “I will turn this bus around if you don’t behave yourselves.”

 

“Doesn’t that threat only work if you aren’t already on the way home?” Panther giggled.

 

“That’s not the point, Panther,” she sighed.

 

* * *

During the long ride back to the surface, Skull managed to free his arm at the cost of Joker’s head somehow ending up on his lap. His mask had worked its way off of its usual perch, showing off his whole face, and Skull caught himself spending a good portion of the trip staring down at his face when he wasn't looking out the window.

 

It was strange seeing him without his mask or his glasses, and for once even his hair was out of his face, letting him see his eyes in all their glory. He found himself wishing they would open so he could examine the strange shade of charcoal closer without any obstacles blocking his view.

 

All of a sudden, Skull realized just how insanely long his lashes were on top of the unique color, and thought to himself how he had no business possessing such cute eyes. Not that he would admit that to anyone, of course. Especially not Joker with his already insufferably smug ego.

 

It wasn't until they were about another five floors from the entrance that his wish to look at his eyes was granted when Joker stirred awake with a grimace, his eyes fluttering open a moment later. They were definitely way too pretty. Were they sparking, or was it just the light?

 

“You doin’ okay Joker?”

 

“Mm, yeah, just a headache. Sorry I fell asleep on you.” He righted himself, or at least tried to, and ended up leaning on his shoulder again, too tired to care.

 

“It’s fine. What’re friends for, and all that.” Joker made a soft hum of agreement.

 

“You’re kind of soft…” He yawned then, and nuzzled his shoulder with his cheek.

 

“Uh, thanks?” He didn't point out the metal plate on his shoulder.

 

“S’no problem…”

 

Skull had to fight the urge to check for a fever.

 

He looked up and watched as Fox leaned over the seat to say something to the others. It seemed like he and Joker were in their own world back here.

 

“Are you feeling okay?”

 

“I need coffee…” he groaned quietly into his shoulder.

 

“You brought six thermoses of coffee.”

 

“One for each of us.”

 

“And Mona and I don’t drink coffee, you finished off three of them on your own in the last few hours.”

 

“...your point?”

 

“It’s kinda unhealthy, don’tya think?”

 

“So is instant ramen, but you have it for lunch every day. You know how much sodium they pack into those?”

 

“But I don't make enough ramen to fuel an entire army every day, so that makes your bad habit worse than mine.”

 

“I need coffee to function. It’s my lifeblood, Skull.”

 

“Isn't that just proving my point?”

 

Joker opened his mouth to say something but immediately shut it and frowned. A yawn broke its way to the surface while Joker sulked.

 

“Wait a second, how are you so tired if you had all that coffee?”

 

“It’s a talent? I just didn't sleep well last night. Coffee has its limits, unfortunately…”

 

“You aren't overworking yourself or anything, right?” Skull pulled off his glove and felt his forehead. “You’re kind of hot, Joker.”

 

“You look pretty good too, Skull,” he grinned, sending him weak finger guns.

 

“Haha,” he rolled his eyes. “I meant your forehead, smartass. If you’re sick, why’d you wanna come to Mementos?”

 

“We haven't made progress on Mementos in a while.”

 

“Yeah, I guess, but if you run yourself ragged in the process it’ll just take longer. I don't think anyone would care if you wanted a few days to rest. You already do more than the rest of us. Like, way more than you even have to do.”

 

“If I don't take care of you, who will?” He joked.

 

“I think we’d manage.” But to be honest, they probably wouldn't. Fox would probably starve or something because he needed a new paint brush. Joker was probably the only thing keeping the Phantom Thieves from spontaneously combusting on a daily basis. Maybe now with Queen, their fearless leader could learn to relax a little.

 

* * *

 

“Did anyone ever tell you that you talk in your sleep?”

 

“I do?”

 

“Yeah. S’all mumbles though, so I only got a real vague idea of what you were sayin.”

 

“And what  _ was _ I saying?”

 

“Well, it sounded like you were reading a recipe or something. I heard things like ‘sift the flour’ a couple times.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“It was kinda cute. You gotta let me help you bake something sometime. You make it sound like a lot of fun.”

 

“T-thanks.” Akira stuttered, his face turning pink. That was strange, he didn’t normally get flustered when people complimented him.

 

“No problem. Honestly you make a lot of things seem fun though. Some special talent or whatever.”

 

“Y-yeah… talent. Uh, well I haven't baked the customary ‘welcome to the squad’ cake for Makoto yet. You can stay over tonight or something.”

 

“No, you’re gonna get some sleep tonight. You still look exhausted, and she might actually kill you if you get her sick.”

 

“Fine, backed into a corner by my best friend and my own cat. How about tomorrow after closing the cafe for the night?”

 

“Sounds good to me. What’re we gonna be makin'?”

 

“Well, I heard a rumor that she likes strawberries. I’ll think of something.”

 

* * *

"Ryuji, you... you are the most infuriatingly oblivious man on Earth, and considering that YUSUKE exists sometimes, that's really saying something!" Ann groaned.

 

“What have I done now?” And what did she mean by ‘Yusuke exists’ only  _ sometimes _ ?

 

“Akira! God, Ryuji, how can you be so dense? He likes you!”   


 

“Of course he likes me, Ann, he’s my best friend.”

 

“Oh my  _ god _ Ryuji, you… Augh!” She threw her hands up and tangled her fingers in her hair. “He wants to kiss you, hold your hand, go on  _ dates _ with you. He  _ likes _ you!”

 

“W-what? But-- me? Why would he like me?”

 

“I can't see the appeal either,” Ann rolled her eyes. “But I'm serious. That boy is head over heels for you, and I know you feel something for him, even if you don't realize it. I’ve never seen you act the way you do with him around anyone else.”

 

“What do you mean?! There’s no way he’s into me. He’s just my best friend.” There’s no way. One, he was  _ Akira _ , and he was just Ryuji. He could do, and deserved, so much better. And two, he was fairly certain Akira wasn't interested. He flirted with  _ everyone _ , even shadows, but never  _him_.

 

“I have only ever seen you make gooey heart eyes at one person, and that person is Akira.”

 

“I-- I do not!”

 

“Yes you do,” Ann grinned viciously. “It’s so painfully obvious to everyone but you and Akira.”

* * *

 

 

There were various shouts of of his name. Suddenly something cannonballed into him and squeezed him so hard he thought his ribs would crack. It took all his balance to avoid falling on his ass in the middle of the street.

 

“...thought you died,” he heard somewhere beneath if a mess of black curls tickling his nose. He felt a little lost by the attention. It was no big deal, really. He got the feeling Akira might actually hurt him if he said so though, so Ryuji patted his shoulder instead.

 

“It’s gonna take more than that to keep me down, but uh, I’ll try not to do that again if possible.” And then he realized that just maybe Ann was right.

 

* * *

Ryuji took a step back when he advanced in him with his hands balled into fists at his side, actually fearing for his life. Akira only ever had that dark, angry look on his face in Mementos, when talking to a particularly annoying, despicable shadow, like that assassin or the guy preying on his clients.

 

Seeing it directed at him, he suddenly understood what their enemies felt.

 

“You almost died tonight! Of course I’m upset! I know we pulled it off in the end but I still want wrong his neck with my own hands, for even coming close! And you just… making jokes? Why?!”

 

“Look, I’m sorry if I upset you with the jokes, I was just trying to lighten the mood! It’s what you did when the police messed you up, anyway!”

 

“That’s not the point! I-I…” he started scrubbing at his eyes and he realized he was crying, for him of all people. How the hell is he supposed to fix that? He couldn't even handle the girls looking so teary earlier, let alone Akira.

 

“I didn’t almost  _ die, _ Ryuji,  _ you did _ .” The way his voice wavered when he said ‘you did’ made Ryuji crumble.

 

“I just… didn’t want you guys to worry,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry I upset you. I’m sorry.”

 

* * *

 

“Oh, fuck it.”

  
Akira suddenly grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. The poor blonde was about to concede his pride and beg for his life, until instead of maiming him, he pulled him in for a kiss. For a few seconds his shock made him freeze, until his brain finally registered his best friend was kissing him, and he was very okay with it.

 

In any other situation with any other guy, he might have pushed them away immediately, but this… It was nice. It was… very nice. Maybe it had to do with almost dying, or maybe it was just Akira, but this seemed more important than freaking out.

 

All too soon, he released his shirt and started to pull back, a nervous look on his face. “I- I’m sorry, I don't know what came over me, I just…” he buried his face in his hands, causing the rest of his words to sound muffled.

 

“Can, uh, can we… do that again?” His face heated up even further just asking.

 

“W-what?” He peered through his fingers, looking confused, hopeful and terrified all at once. His blush was so intense he could almost see it through his hands. It was strange. Akira was the last person he expected to see blushing.

 

“I mean I liked it. I like, well… uh, do you… like me like  _ that _ ? Because I wouldn't mind if you did or anything. I mean of course I would, just like, in a good way, I would…” wow, did he ever feel like a babbling idiot. Ryuji took a deep breath, and tried to sound confident. “I’m tryin’ to say, if you wanna ask me out or something, I would totally say yes. Or if you just wanted to kiss me again too. I would like that.”

 

“...so I didn't just mess everything up?”

 

“Well I did ask for another. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one?” Ryuji joked.

 

“Don't tease me!” Akira scolded. “I think my heart is going to explode. Am I dead?”

 

“I’m not kissing no corpses, so-- Ow!” Ryuji rubbed his arm where Akira smacked him and snickered. “Sorry, no teasing.”

 

Akira glared at him with his arms crossed. It lasted for about five seconds before the glare softened and he smiled. “You did that on purpose.”

 

“Guilty,” he conceded. “Things were getting awkward real fast so…”

 

“I don't think I give you anywhere near enough credit.” He leaned closer and kissed him again, much lighter than before, on the cheek. “Thanks for making it less awkward.”

 

He was really quite proud of himself. First off for how okay he was with it. He thought about the conversation with Ann earlier and wondered if she was right. Maybe all those months of hidden attraction were making it so easy to accept and even joke with him about it. Second, there was making Akira feel better about kissing him out of the blue. Usually it was Akira calming him down, but the roll reversal felt good.

 

“Sooooo… are you going to ask me out?”

 

“I think so.”

 

* * *

Ryuji sighed at his phone. “Damn it, she’s going to be so smug tomorrow…”

 

          _Ryuji: you were right_

 

He locked his phone and set it on the floor next to Akira’s.

 

“Who?”

 

“Ann,” he huffed. “She called me an oblivious idiot and she was  _ right _ .”

 

* * *

Suddenly he broke away from the kiss, breathing heavily, eyes gleaming. He pushed him onto the couch and climbed into his lap, straddling his waist, before attacking his neck with his lips.

 

"Damn, Akira, you gotta warn a guy," he groaned, letting his head fall back against the cushion when he hummed an apology against his neck before sucking the skin until he was sure it would leave a bruise.

 

“Not that I’m complainin’ or anything but… is something wrong?”

 

“...no, I just… after what happened earlier… I know we should be relaxing now, but I’m too wound up for that. The adrenaline hasn’t quite stopped flowing yet.”

 

“You looked really cool, y’know? You literally summoned Satan to shoot God in the head. On Christmas Eve.”

 

“Yes, the humor isn’t lost on me. You were pretty cool too.”

 

Ryuji stiffened when he moved from kissing his neck to scraping his teeth across his ear. His hands were roaming across his torso, idly stroking his ribs, making him squirm. “That feels really nice,” he sighed when Akira moved further up to play with his hair. He was so weak for fingers combing through his hair. He brought his arms up and locked them around Akira’s sides, pulling him closer, and Akira honest to god  _ giggled _ when the motion knocked him off balance.

 

“How are you even allowed to be this cute?” He mumbled. It wasn’t fair, it really wasn’t. Akira adjusted himself on his lap until he could easily snake his arms around his neck loosely and touched their foreheads together. Ryuji was melting into the couch, his face was so hot, but he couldn’t look away when their eyes locked. Akira’s cheeks were just as red.

 

* * *

 

“Oh, before I forget, I got you something. I couldn't wait until tomorrow, so I brought it with me.” Ryuji reached over to the arm of the couch where his bag was hanging, and pulled it closer until he could reach the pocket, claiming the wrapped gift from inside. “Here.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Uh, you’re supposed to open it? That’s kind of the whole point.”

 

“Fair enough,” Akira said, turning the corners of his lip up into a half smirk. He settled into Ryuji’s side and unwrapped the stylish red and black wrapping paper carefully.

 

“Running shoes? They look kind of like yours.” He smiled, tracing the small logo with his finger.

 

“They’re the really good ones I used to get when I was on the track team. We can go running together without tearing up your normal shoes now.”

 

“I love them. I’ll think of you whenever I wear them.” He put the shoes back in the box, and set the box itself on the side table.

 

Ryuji flushed pink at the comment, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “How can you say dumb cute shit like that with a straight face?”

 

“Because I mean it?” He leaned closer and place a kiss on the corner of his mouth, then winked as he straightened himself up. “I have something for you too.”

 

Akira slipped off the couch and went to retrieve a brightly colored package from his workbench.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, not to ruin the mood or anything, but I’ve been thinking about the Shido investigation. I’m kinda worried. I mean, we were really out there on that one. If the police catch us…” It wasn’t like there were laws against entering someone’s mind and forcing them to realise they were scumbags, but he really didn’t want to be the first one to go down for a new crime. “I’m just scared we would never see eachother again. It’s bad enough we lost Morgana. I can’t imagine never seeing the rest of the team.”

 

Akira clenched his fist around the fabric of his shirt. “I would miss you the most,” he said quietly.

 

“I just can't stand the thought of us being separated, y’know? It feels like we’ve all known each other for years.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

He sighed, and reached for Ryuji’s hand, settling his palm over the back and squeezing lightly.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I talked with Niijima-San. She said she would do her best to keep you guys safe when I’m gone.”

 

“Gone?” His heart seemed to miss a beat at the thought of Akira actually leaving anytime soon.

 

“I’ll be going back to my hometown soon, remember?” Akira averted his gaze and looked anywhere but at Ryuji.

 

“Oh, I forgot about that. It feels like you’ve been here forever. It’s not gonna be the same without you. You better text every day, and call us at least once a week, you hear?”

 

“Is that an order, or a suggestion?” Akira smirked, and for a moment, his other self shined through, sending a little shiver down his spine.

 

“Order,” he grinned. “And if you start slackin’ off, I’m gonna have to come down there.”

 

“That only makes me  _ want _ to slack off. I’m not sure you’ve thought this through all that well.”

 

* * *

“I should be getting home now though.”

 

“Do you want me to walk you to the station?”

 

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Get some sleep Akira, I think you’ve more than earned it. See you tomorrow.”

 

“Yeah. Good night, Ryuji.”

 

He looked worried for some reason, but Ryuji knew he wouldn't tell him if he didn't want to. “Why does it feel like you’re hiding something from me…?” He sighed. It was too late to think about this kind of thing when all he wanted was to go home and pass out on his bed.

 

* * *

 

“This is the first time I’ve actually have friends to spend Christmas with in a while.” Ryuji said suddenly. “I almost forgot how hard it is to shop for so many people.” Even with his share of the money from the random crap they found in palaces, it was a close call on his wallet, but he already knew it was going to be worth it.

 

“I’ve never really celebrated Christmas since I was a child,” Haru confessed. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”

 

“As have I. Christmas to me has never been more than the occasional source of inspiration. I don't believe I’ve ever experienced this holiday to its fullest potential.”

 

“Were such a sad bunch,” Ann laughed. “My parents and I usually exchange gifts and cards through the mail. We haven't actually been together since I was a kid.”

 

“This should be the start of a new tradition,” Yusuke mused. “We are like an unconventional family, are we not?”

 

“Pfft, yeah, and Akira is totally the mom,” Ann snickered. “Oh Yusuke dear,” she said, trying to mimic Akira's voice. “You have a cut on your cheek, let me fetch a bandaid.”

 

“I think it’s a very endearing attitude,” Haru smiled. “It’s nice to know how much he cares about us.”

 

“If Akira is our mother,” Yusuke mused, “does that make Ryuji the father?”

 

“W-what?! No!” Ryuji’s cheeks grew a shade darker as Ann and Haru started laughing.

 

“Oh my god, oh my  _ god, _ ” Ann wheezed, the sudden fit of laughter consuming her making it impossible to breathe. “ _ Yusuke-! _ ”

 

“You would make a nice father, I think,” Haru said. “You care about as much as Akira.”

 

“Ugh, the first one to make a dad joke is dead to me.”


End file.
